7 Best Ways To Get Rid Of Blackheads
Blackheads can be the worst nightmare for many people. When you look in the mirror, you see these tiny black spots taking over your face, making it look dirty and unaesthetic. Sounds familiar? You may even believe that blackheads make you look like you are not taking care of yourself. Stop right here. You Are Totally Wrong! In fact, having blackheads has nothing to do with your daily skin care routine. You can use the most advanced acne products at home and still suffer from this annoying skin condition. Blackheads are usually associated with an individual predisposition, genetics, and hormone changes in your body. Blackheads form when dead skin cells and excess sebum formate a knob in the trapped hair follicle's pore and the skin over the knob opens exposing it to the air which causes the knob to look black. You may have tried many homemade methods to remove these black spots from your face but with no satisfactory results. The beauty industry is a multi-billion dollar business with everyone trying to sell you the next best thing. So, is there a natural, effective solution to get rid of blackheads? In pursuit of saving time, money, and effort, check out a few of the things that scientific evidence has shown to be worthwhile:
Staying Hydrated
Don’t forget, our bodies are 70% water. I’m putting this one 1st because it’s something I even struggle with! Lemon water, celery juice, cucumber water, or just plain water- it doesn’t matter what kind of water it is as long as you’re getting your hydration. So start your day with water! Upon waking up every day pour yourself a big glass of water and gulp that down as you are getting ready for the day. Maybe while your coffee is brewing or while you are writing down your plan for the day. This will start your day off right and hydrate your body which is key to a healthy lifestyle. Hydration will help your skin heal, cleanse while jump-starting your immune system to help clean the trapped hair follicles!
Keep Your Linens Fresh
You might think to wash your sheets and pillowcases at least once a week, but changing your pillowcases twice a week will remove the dirt and oil from your hair and face to help prevent germs from causing breakouts.
What about washing your hats or hat liners? In sunny Florida everyone is wearing a hat to protect them from harmful sun-rays, but wearing them over and over again with dirty sweat and sunscreen isn’t helping have clear skin! The easiest way to wash hats and visors is on the dishwasher top rack.
Your favorite hat should be washed every other week if you are using it on a daily basis. Otherwise once a month can keep things fresh and avoid a build-up of bacteria and dead skin that may cause acne and blackheads.
Wash Your Face Before Bed And Before You Sweat
Yes, this seems to be obvious but let’s be honest, how many of you forgot to wash your face before bed at least once in your life? During your sleep, your body gets a chance to revitalize, refresh, and rebuild. This is why removing your makeup and any dirt or oil that has built up over the day is so important to allow your skin to breathe. Clearing out your pores before you rest or work out allows them to stay clean and prevents them from getting clogged up and forming unwanted blackheads. Put a pack of makeup wipes in your gym bag to clean up before and after your sweat-sesh. Removing that makeup before you hit the gym will prevent sweat from clogging up your pores when it mixes with your makeup. Once finished, cleaning your face and body will keep those pores free and clear. Try to avoid letting sweat sink into your skin for hours. Clear skin starts with clean pores. Remember, if you are working out outside, make sure you have sunscreen and a hat, and sunglasses to protect your skin and eyes.
Get Your Beauty Sleep
Yes, we know you have heard this before- the question is, are you doing it? Getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night allows your body to heal itself. It helps to reduce your stress which helps calm the skin. It can also keep your brain functioning at its peak performance! Utilize your phone’s alarms to give yourself reminders of when it's time to go get ready for bed and wind down when it's time to put the phone down and close your eyes, then of course your wake-up call. Calculating this out and creating a routine will help your skin, your body, and your mind. Many phones today have a bedtime option built-in that allows you to have your notifications turn off in addition to these alarms to keep you on track. No phone beeping and buzzing overnight will let your sleep be pure instead of interrupted. A good night's sleep will regulate your hormonal imbalance that may be the cause of your oily skin and blackheads. When you can’t get your full seven or eight hours, did you know that 30 minutes of meditation is equivalent to two hours of sleep? OK so get the six hours of sleep and try meditating 30 minutes a day. It will get you up to those eight hours in terms of your body’s ability to recover and the benefits of meditation are endless!
Cleanse Your Skin, Use Facial Moisturizer, And SPF Cream Daily
Cleansing your skin daily is one of the most important things if you want to get rid of blackheads permanently.
At home wash your face with gentle soap.
Cleanse your skin with salicylic acid.
Gently exfoliate. Consider AHAs and BHAs treatments done by a professional.
Pick up a skin brush.
Try topical retinoids.
Use a clay mask.
Use a charcoal mask.
Consider a chemical peel at Perich Aesthetics
Washing your face is important but keeping it properly hydrated afterward is important as well! A good moisturizer will give your pores the fuel they need to stay healthy. This is very important to do prior to applying foundations that cover up instead of nourish. There are many tinted moisturizers on the market today that can accomplish the coverage while getting that fuel. Some even have SPF in them as well!
Most important when choosing a sunscreen: please please please read labels! The ingredients should always say titanium or zinc dioxide. Titanium and zinc are physical blockers of the sun which means they physically sit on your face and block the sun from penetrating, as compared to all the other chemicals that are absorbed by your skin. The Environmental Working Group has found that these other chemicals can be measured in your bloodstream. At this point in time we don’t know the long-term effects of these chemicals in our bodies! We do know that many of them are currently killing coral reef’s. If something kills a coral reef it’s probably not that great for you either? Logic would seem to favor this answer, however long-term studies are needed to know the science.
Sunscreen daily on your face keeps your skin protected from those harsh UVA/UVB rays that cause damage and wrinkles. This may not aid in clearing your skin as much but it will help you stay looking youthful!
Change Your Diet To Get Rid Of Blackheads
Your body is a reflection of the food and beverages you put in it. Oily skin, blackheads, and acne flare-ups are fueled by excess sugar intake, nuts, spicy food, salty food, chips, fries, processed meats, artificial flavors, colored food, or preservatives. Also, taking the recommended dose of vitamins, fruits, veggies, and fiber can make a big impact on your skin's clarity and your overall wellbeing. A whole food diet full of fruits and vegetables is always best however sometimes that just doesn't work out. A vegan or vegetarian supplement is a great choice to avoid getting any unknown chemicals in your system regularly. Vitamin C is key- drink that OJ, Mimosa's are acceptable in moderation ;) There are also serums to get a topical treatment of vitamin C. Bottom line, treat your body from both the inside and the outside and you should notice the difference in skin
Meditate Daily To Reduce Acne Flare-ups
You probably are aware that stress can cause flare-ups on your skin but all too often stress just can not be avoided. Finding ways to relieve stress is imperative! I’m not just talking about acne here, in my personal experience, my melasma never fails to get worse when I’m under a lot of stress. Going back to my biochemistry textbooks from school, I remember there was something about melanin in the cortisol pathway… Yes, stress hormones and dark spots or hyperpigmentation are intimately related!
Getting 3-5 minutes to meditate daily calms the mind and reduces stress. It can help to refocus you and can give you the headspace to find the answer you were looking for. Also, it calms down the immune system and helps balance hormones in your body. Meditating does not have to be scary or intimidating if you are new to the concept. It is as simple as breathing deeply with your focus on that breath. You can count each breath up to 10 and then start at 1 again to try it out. You can choose a word to repeat with each breath like Release or Renew. There are also plenty of guided meditations that are free to get you started on YouTube. Calming your mind will calm your body and calm your hormones and therefore skin!
If nothing works for your skin problems, please don’t hesitate and make an appointment with a Professional Board-certified Doctor or an Aesthetician who can help you medically get rid of blackheads and acne.